Jensen C10Q?

Dave_Mc

Hi everyone,

Been making a lot of threads recently, but this is the last one, I promise. I think. )

I was thinking the other night that the Eminence Copperhead in my VHT Special 6 (basically a champ without negative feedback, I think) is a bit loud. I also have a little Fame Tube 5 (glorified Champion 600) with a 6" low-sensitivity (~90dB) Jensen in it, and it drops the volume down enough that I can pretty much crank it at home without too much bother.

So I take a look at Thomann and see that they're blowing out the 16 Ohm Jensen C10Q for 28 Euros/~£23 (they're normally more like £35-£40) )

Are they any good? I'd be after Blackfacey-type clean tones (and the VHT is a bit dark to start with), that's the main priority, so I'm guessing if it's bright/sparkly and maybe a little scooped in the mids that might help. Good distortion would be a bonus too (probably for dirt pedals for when I want more distortion, since cranked-up tones normally take care of themselves).

Will it drop the volume enough? They seem to be 94.5dB, the Copperhead is 99dB and the 6" Jensen, which is just about quiet enough, is 90dB.

I kind of suspect I already know the answer to this ("It'll be noticeably quieter but still maybe not quiet enough, and you might not like it any more than the Copperhead"), but if any of you have any first-hand experience, or any horror stories, that'd help me to make my mind up. I figure I probably can't go too far wrong for just over £20, and it's probably worth it for the lulz just to try it out, but if it's utterly horrible or won't do what I want then it's just a waste of money )

Thanks for your help,

Dave

ICBM

It's a very nice speaker, clear and open-sounding, and quite loose at the bottom end so it sounds big even when it's not driven hard. Actually too much for my little Peavey solid state amp which I tried one in - the bottom end got out of control - but it should be fine in a lower-powered valve amp.

It's definitely not loud, although as you know the sensitivity figures can vary wildly between manufacturers and Eminence seem a bit exaggerated, so the Jensen is probably not really four and a half db quieter than the Copperhead, but it's going to be quieter - at least because it's deeper and less aggressive-sounding.

Dave_Mc

Thanks John

Yeah the variation in sensitivities from different manufacturers is what I was worried about- the Copperhead could well be more like 97dB. ) Even still, 3dB is normally noticeable. I'm guessing for £23 I won't go too far wrong, even if I decide I like the Copperhead better- at least I'd know.

Thinking back I'm not actually sure why I went for the Copperhead instead of the Jensen originally- I think at the time most reports I'd heard online said that the newer Jensens weren't that great, and also I thought that the extra power from the Copperhead would make the thing sound bigger (which it does), except I also forgot it'd make it louder as well ) The little 6" Jensen I have in my Fame Tube 5 seems quite nice (for its size, anyway) so I'd be willing to chance a Jensen now and ignore those previous reports I'd heard.